Shawdow of Death
by nakala
Summary: Korra sees the intent in his eyes, but he has misjugded her terribly. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory!


**My first LoK fic. It's set directly following the episode titled **_**When Extremes Meet**_

**Haven't written anything like this ever so I would like to know how I did. Like or dislike any critique is welcomed so make sure to Review. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own LoK or the characters just the story I have written **

The ride to spirits knows where is long and rocky. Bound, I have no means of stopping myself from bouncing into the walls of the carriage. My head bumps around aimlessly. He's dead. That motherless, self-serving prick is dead the moment I'm free.

Tarrlok doesn't say a word, but I know he's there. He's driving this truck to some remote location outside of the city where he'll lock me away like some animal.

We hit a pothole and he takes a sharp turn. I flip in the air hitting the side wall landing hard on my shoulder when I meet the floor again. I feel the joint pop out of the socket and the intense pain shoot down my arm reaching the tip of my fingers. "Ahhh!" I scream out and fire follows the sound rushing from my mouth. I curse Tarrlok for all he's worth. He. Will. Pay. I promise the spirits Tui, La, Agni all of them that when these ropes are loosed there will be heck to pay.

My eyes clench shut as we turn onto another road leaving concrete in favor of a road addled with stones. Escape is futile; I might as well lie down and enjoy the ride. I close my eyes hoping for sleep but it does not greet me; instead, I'm welcomed by the scene of the twisted battle with the weasel-snake who is now my captor.

I was winning. I'm the avatar that's what I do. I win. At least that's what I'm supposed to do, but tonight, much like any other night I'm faced with a power hungry psycho, I lost. He'd somehow bloodbended despite the fact that there is no full moon in the night sky. I don't even know how to do it when there is a full moon. Blast Katara for refusing to teach me a bending style because it's unethical. I wouldn't be in this predicament had she put aside her issues. I'm the avatar; I should know all there is to know. How can I fight the enemy when they have the upper hand? Amon has energybending or some really intense mind trick he's playing with chi blocking, and Tarrlok, I discovered as an object lesson, has bloodbending.

I was going to kill him. It was my very intent to kill him or maim him beyond recognition, but as soon as I felt my limbs restrict and the fire flames wane; it was over. I could feel his will overpowering mine reducing me to a worthless lump of swamp vine.

Though I've been fighting with all my might, tears seep from my still clenched eyes. I'm useless. I have all the elements at my beck and call. Earth. Air. Water. Fire. Well maybe not air. But I have no capability of rescuing myself because my hands are tied behind me. And even if they weren't I would still be a prisoner because butthole extraordinaire can control my bodily functions. There's also the little problem of me not being able to reach the avatar state.

I lack spirituality. The ability to separate myself, in essence, from myself. I lack the ability to tap into any emotion other than anger at any length. However, at the moment my emotions are running the gamut. I'm furious and irate firstly. Afraid secondly. What if I don't make it out of here? Tarrlok is becoming irrational. I'm not sure if he knows that he and Amon are now two sides of the same coin. His actions towards the innocent defenseless citizens of Republic City will only force supporters towards Amon's extremist ideology. The city doesn't stand a chance because of me. Benders and nonbenders alike will suffer because I thought I could handle things alone. Thirdly, as I've illustrated, I feel shame. Shame because I am the least competent avatar in history. Avatar Aang was twelve and he found a way to master all the elements, the avatar state and take down one of the most notorious Firelords with…wait for it…energybending. I'm much older, had better training, and I can't manage to take down a waterbender or a nonbender. Did I mention I have mastered three of the four elements.

I want to prove that I'm more than the hotheaded screw up, but this situation only confirms that which I have been trying to dispel. What everybody already thinks of me already. I am useless.

The truck jerks to a halt sliding me into the front wall of the carriage. The impact forces the skin covering my skull to split. Blood streams into my face blazing a trail down my forehead, across my eyes, and down my nose dripping into a puddle near my mouth. My lips are lying at the edge of the puddle and it sickens me to be that close to the blood that should be on the inside of my body. If I make it out of this alive, I will see to it that the councilman gets what he deserves.

I hear the creaking door opening and my breath hitches involuntarily.

"No words _Avatar?"_

I cringe as his voice oozes over me. Goose bumps rise on my skin, a clear sign that things are not about to suddenly turn in my favor. I don't know what Tarrlok has in store for me, but something inside knows it's the beginning of a terrible time.

I don't open my eyes, but I can feel his gaze burning over me in disgust. "You should have listened to me, little girl."

I am snatched from the carriage landing on the hard ground my chin hitting a stone causing me to bite my tongue. I spit out the blood filing my mouth. Stifling a moan as yet again I have fallen onto my injured shoulder. I feel the embers burning within me. Can feel the energy bubbling in my blood seeking a release, but I can't. Not unless I want to catch in flames. The pain is so unbearable but I refuse to cry out in agony. I cannot give him the satisfaction. I feel my teeth pierce my bottom lip with the will of my determination to squelch the pansy squeal threatening to burst from me. The familiar copper taste trickles into my mouth this time allowed no reprieve.

The door to the truck closes and I tighten my already closed eyes. The gleeful sneering would break me. The mocking would destroy my will to make this better. To find a way to escape. And I will escape, make no mistake about that.

I'm lying face down in the dirt, my lungs filling with dust with each breath I take. But I don't move. I hear him nearing me and I pray to Tui and La to protect me. I get no such luck, maybe there's a lesson I need to learn because he never breaks his momentum as he glides his foot along the ground underneath me kicking me swiftly and powerfully in the stomach. The force flips me onto my back eliciting a groan from my mouth as I cough up blood and sputum.

His laughter echoes in my head. It's humiliating, and scary. It foreshadows a rapidly approaching future filled with uncertainty and spirits know what monstrosities.

I feel my limbs constrict reacting in violation of my will. My upper body flings forward making me sit upright. I try to fight it. I try to gain control of my body. I even take a shot at the breath of fire but it catches in my throat as my lungs twist within my body.

"Try that again and I collapse your left lung."

My mind is screaming at my body to stop. To defy this criminal. To obey me. "Crap." I'm hoisted into the air above Tarrlok; he has me positioned a foot over his eye level. I can't be certain because my eyes are still closed, but I know I'm in the air.

"What, _Avatar, _can't handle little old me?"

My eyes pop open. Another involuntary action. I want to pluck off Tarrlok's testicles for the deranged gleam in his eye. I detest this sea vulture. Losing all rational, I spit in his face. I'm not one for such benign and common antics, but I can't help myself. He's taunting me. Unfortunately, it proves to be a stupid idea because before the blood filled spittle touches him, it is redirected while at the same time I feel my bowels being crushed by the blood flowing through them. My body wants to double over with the pain being inflicted but Tarrlok prevents it. Tears stream down my face dripping into the puddle of urine collecting at my dangling feet. He has me. Right now, he has me.

I catch the acknowledgement in his features.

"Little girl, started something she had no idea how to finish. Arrogant failure. I'll make sure your friends rot in jail, and that everyone knows how insignificant you are."

The surrounding area booms with Tarrlok's mocking laughter. The sound travels past the trees. For the first time, I notice where I am. He's brought me to the middle of a forest, which forest it's hard to say, but it doesn't matter because there's no way I'm getting out of this any time soon.

We enter a rickety shack, me floating haphazardly bumping into walls as he trails me lazily. He's doing it on purpose, beating me up all over the place. I drift down a staircase into a dark, dry basement with wooden floors. There are no windows, no moving air, it's stale and lifeless. I don't even think I see an insect. They probably can't survive in this place. The train of thought that erupts from that observation speeds to the forefront of my mind. I may not survive. My vision is blurred by furiously petrified induced tears cascading down my face. However, through them I can make out a metal box in the far corner of the room. About ten by ten. There's an open door to the human kennel allowing me to see through to the inside. My stomach drops. I see no foreseeable escape. The only opening on the door is at the bottom. If Tarrlok plans on keeping me alive then it's for food, which I doubt will be sustaining.

We near the cell and when we reach the door I am tossed like a sack of cabbages into the cell. Amid the searing pain and sound of my arm breaking, I feel a sense of relief flood through the turmoil as my head hits a metal bucket. I don't need my imagination to figure out its purpose. All I need to know is Tarrlok is not going to kill me and he may visit me periodically as I rot. I don't know what his plan is, but I can find some small reassurance in that I will be alive a little longer to come up with a way out of this mess.

He stands in the doorway glaring at me with a sinister smile lining his lips. "If you haven't figured it out by now, you are mine now. I will keep you here as long as it takes for you to join me."

"I will never follow you, Tarrlok." Why did I say anything? No sooner than the words leave my mouth, I am picked up from the floor and my back is slammed into the back wall; I watch Tarrlok stalk towards me until his face is right beside my head and his lips ghosting over my ear. "We'll see about that."

He doesn't yell or deepen his voice. The words come out as a whisper filling my body with dread. Pulling back, his eyes bore into me a brief moment while he slides his hands over my waist to my back untying my hands before he spins around slapping me in the face with his disgustingly girly hair. Punk. When he reaches the entrance to the box, he drops me closing the door behind him. I hear the lock clink into place and I ball into the fetal position permitting the sobs I've been fighting freedom.

Lying there in the darkness, I have no defense against the fingers that claw at my mind and resolve. The possibilities of the torture I'm facing takes my breath away and spirits I hope it doesn't come to any of it. I have never known man and I do not wish for my first time to be as a prisoner to a sadistic monster.

The questions are racing around in my head all with no discernable answer. I don't know how long I'm going to be here. I don't know when help will arrive, if ever. I don't know anything and that terrifies me more than anything.

I wonder if Tenzin found a way to get Asami, Bolin, and Mako out of jail. Or if Tarrlok has them locked away somewhere like me. Wherever they are I'm sure they expect me to do the avatar thing and break them out or find away to get the council to set them free. But none of that is going to happen because I'm trapped just like them. Not to mention, I'm not a fully realized avatar.

Drowning in a sea of despair, I surrender to the torment burning my soul and wait for forever.

**Don't forget to review I would really like to know what you think.**

**nakala**


End file.
